So a lot of comedy explores the absurd. For example when SNL decided to portray aliens as Coneheads pretending to be from France to cover up their obvious differences it was meant to be and was pretty funny. Now one expected anyone to think Coneheads was anything except absurd. Of course no one ever went broke by underestimating the American public so I suspect a cult of people believe in cone head aliens.
I can't decide if the country has gotten more stupid or were we always like this? Take the silliness over the election results. First it demonstrates something Hitler and Stalin knew and what George Orville outlined in his book "1984" a lie repeated often enough starts to seem true.
Of course it remains a lie but people are generally more social than confrontational. Not that there have been many social gatherings lately but if at dinner and someone comments about how Biden actually lost the election, most people avoid the confrontation. If you do react strongly most of the others will ask you to calm down, the liar skates.
Just because he may have repeated that lie calmly doesn't give it credibility. Some think it does.
We have free speech in this country which allows for some media to continuously lie for political purposes. By doing it contentiously they attract viewers. These viewers start to believe the lies and they spread.
I am pretty convinced we have become more stupid, although the Spanish American War makes me wonder a bit.
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